Indian Railways is increasingly replacing old ICF-design coaches with the LHB platform. One such step has been taken by replacing the Jaynagar-LTT Jan Sadharan Express with an Antyodaya Express LHB rake.

In a bid to enhance safety as well as riding comfort for railway passengers, Indian Railways has introduced modern Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches.

With safety in focus and a thrust on improving passenger amenities, Indian Railways is increasingly replacing old ICF-design coaches with the LHB platform. One such step has been taken by replacing the Jaynagar-LTT Jan Sadharan Express with an Antyodaya Express LHB rake. In a bid to enhance safety as well as riding comfort for railway passengers, Indian Railways has introduced modern Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches. The express train services with new LHB coaches will run from the dates mentioned as: Train number 15547 Jaynagar -LTT Antyodaya Express train service will start from September 24, 2018, while train number 15548 LTT- Jaynagar Antyodaya Express train service will start from September 27, 2018.

Antyodaya Express trains were introduced in early 2017 as a service for unreserved passengers. The train has more comfortable seats, cushioned luggage racks, more mobile charging points and coat hooks, modular toilets and aqua guard-style clean drinking water among a host of other features.

According to the Railway Ministry, using LHB design coaches in Indian Railways network have many advantages. A couple of months ago, the Minister of State of Railways, Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha stated that as compared to Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coaches, LHB design coaches have better safety features. Some of the key characteristics of LHB coaches are they are lighter in weight, they have higher carrying capacity, they have higher speed potential and also, they have increased codal life.

The minister in his reply further stated that the passenger coaches plying over the railway network have been designed with the necessary safety features considering the operating conditions. However, he further stated that in order to provide safer as well as more comfortable journey to railway passengers, the ministry has decided to replace conventional ICF design coaches with LHB design coaches in Mail/Express trains in a phased manner. In addition to this, the minister also informed that now only LHB coaches would be manufactured by all the production units of Indian Railways from April 2018 onwards.